Tag: inside out search for a stylist

Categories
Expert Tips Interviews Styling

Dani Butchart on how she became a stylist and how you can too!

Wedding

Sponsored by iscd

It was by pure chance that Dani Butchart fell into the styling world. Working at fashion label, Fleur Wood for almost eight years, it was her role as creative producer across the Fleur Wood book series that laid the foundation for her career as a stylist.

Dani
Dani

“I was always crafty and creative, however I didn’t realise straight away that it was worth pursuing as a serious job rather than a hobby,” explains Dani. “I was fortunate to work on countless styling jobs at Fleur Wood, mentored by some of the all-stars in the industry. Then, when I got to produce Food Fashion Love (Fleur’s 2014 book), in which I was styling and creating vignettes, it all clicked into place.”

Wedding
Wedding styling

With her passion well and truly alive, Dani enrolled in a Certificate IV in Design and a Diploma of Interior Decoration, Styling and Colour at iscd; believing the experience would tighten up her skill set and help her find her aesthetic. “iscd was an excellent platform to gain confidence in my craft. It was such a great course full of practical information to get moving into the industry. It really brought out my creative juices and aligned me and my ability.”

ELLE Australia editorial
ELLE Australia editorial

Graduating in 2012, Dani now runs her own multi disciplinary practice, where she works across interiors, installations and events. Having partnered with premium Australian brands such as Inside Out, Elle Australia and iscd, her biggest styling achievement came when she took out the top prize at Inside Out’s 2015 Search for a Stylist competition. “I was thrilled to be involved and over the moon when editor-in-chief Claire Bradley called to tell me the news!”

Screen Shot 2015-10-06 at 8.29.26 am
Dani’s winning Inside Out entry

With a national accolade and diploma in her back pocket, Dani has quickly become a recognised name in the local styling world. So what would be her advice for any budding stylists? “Start assisting many stylists on an assortment of jobs. There are so many different layers of styling, whether it is food, lifestyle, fashion, homewares, still life, editorial, interiors or creative events. And there are so many clever stylists in Sydney, which leaves the door open for many opportunities for debut stylists. Go with your gut and start to establish your style.”

Looking to have a successful career in design? Take the plunge and start studying with iscd just like Dani. With over 30 years of industry experience iscd offers accredited and industry-focused courses in colour, surface and interiors. It’s not too late to start your dream career this year – iscd’s next intake begins October 12th. Enquire now.
Categories
Designers Styling

Last chance to vote for this year’s Search for a Stylist

After the success of last year’s Search for a Stylist competition, Inside Out magazine and The Home are once again on the search for the next big thing in photographic styling.

Screen Shot 2015-07-20 at 1.43.57 pm

Taking eight emerging designers from around Australia and giving each the opportunity to create a mock Inside Out cover, the winner will get the opportunity to style an Inside Out magazine shoot and the cover of The Home’s Summer Style magazine.

0711061001432086762
My pick by Emma Duckworth

Here at Interiors Addict, Jen and I have our favourites. Mine is Emma Duckworth’s Scandi inspired cover and Jen’s is Lucia Braham’s light and warm space.

Jen's pick by Lucia Braham
Jen’s pick by Lucia Braham

Voting closes tomorrow, so be quick!

Categories
Interviews Styling

Tahnee Carroll on the switch from interior design to styling and finally finding her groove

Tahnee's work in Real Living

Tahnee Carroll was destined to work in interiors and design, she just had to work out exactly how. “As a kid, my room was never in the same layout for more than a month, I changed everything all the time! Whether I knew it or not, the creative within had found a direction.”

Tahnee Caroll at home. Photo by Lynden Foss
Tahnee Caroll at home. Photo by Lynden Foss.

Beginning her career in interior design for a luxury firm in Sydney, it wasn’t until two years had gone by that she realised it wasn’t the direction she wanted to go in. “Interior design wasn’t quite perfect for me career wise, it didn’t stimulate my creative side enough to warrant staying, but I loved interiors. I just needed to find another outlet and found photographic styling to be the perfect role for me.”

Tahnee's work in Real Living
Tahnee’s work in July’s Real Living. Photography by Brett Stevens.

Approaching Real Living magazine for a week’s work experience, Tahnee instantly fell in love with the fast-paced, creativity-fueled world of photographic styling. Following that work experience, she was offered a role as a styling assistant and worked alongside some of Australia’s best, including Glen Proebstel and Sarah Ellison.

One of Tahnee's favourite food shots I've styled, featured in Real Living's May Issue, 2014. Photography: Maree Homer
Real Living, May 2014. Photography by Maree Homer.

Assisting at Real Living for two years, she did everything from searching far and wide for that one perfect prop, unpacking products, painting and building sets and moving furniture and accessories. “You won’t need a gym membership, let me tell you that!”

Yet while she loved her job, a six-month trip overseas gave Tahnee the inspiration and confidence to step out on her own: “I decided it was time to give assisting the flick and show the industry what I could do! I created a number of moodboards of shoot ideas and put them to the editor of Real Living, Deb Bibby, who then gave me my first job styling the Weekday Meals food segment. Safe to say it was a hit and I’ve been styling the food and entertaining stories ever since.”

A shot from Tahnee's first shoot, published in Real Livings March Issue, 2014. Photography: Maree Homer
Tahnee’s first shoot as a stylist for Real Living, March 2014. Photography by Maree Homer.

Since that first job being published in Real Living’s March 2014 issue, Tahnee has progressed in leaps and bounds, styling a whopping 17 pages in this month’s issue of Real Living and being a contestant in Inside Out magazine and The Home’s Search for a Stylist contest (you can vote for Tahnee’s entry here). The competition has seen wannabe stylists pitted against each other to create a mock Inside Out cover (between you and me, Tahnee’s is my fave!) with the winner getting the chance to style a real Inside Out cover and become a senior stylist at The Home.

“We were given a small number of products from The Home to select from and use in our cover shot,” explains Tahnee. “Then we all had to design and build sets which we believed would stand out to the Inside Out readers in order to get them to vote for us. On shoot day, it was all very secretive, closed studios, tight-lipped editors and hovering stylists. The contestants weren’t allowed to see each other’s sets and everyone was watching you as you tried to create the winning cover. I had so much fun, but it’s so nerve-racking waiting for the results!” (You can vote until 23 July).

Tahnee's cover for the Inside Out Magazine and The Home Search for a Stylist Competition. Photography: Nigel Lough.
Tahnee’s cover for the Search for a Stylist contest. Photography by Nigel Lough.

While Tahnee’s assisting days are now behind her, she is very grateful for what that time gave her, recommending the experience to all budding stylists. “As an assistant, be prepared to go the extra mile,” says Tahnee. “If the stylist wants blue hydrangeas that are out of season and the only florist in Sydney that has them is an hour and a half away, well then you’d better start driving if you want to beat the traffic!”

Real Living's Top Ten Lust List as compiled and styled by Tahnee, featured in the July Issue, 2014. Photography: Brett Stevens
Real Living July 2014. Photography by Brett Stevens.

Tahnee is proof that if you do the hard work and soak up all the knowledge and skill around you, you can make it as a stylist. Just don’t be afraid to take a chance: “Be outrageous,” says Tahnee. “Sometimes you hit, sometimes you miss, but that’s all part of the learning process and developing your skills.”

Love Tahnee’s work? Follow her on Tumblr and Facebook.

So, you want to be a stylist too? You should read this! Or read all our styling-related posts.